Combined clothes washer and extractor



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C QW aus @u 1L Z, una ab C Filed Oct. 24, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet lAIIT'HIILH NVENTGR James B BY I e Kirby rfa/vw v ATTORNEYS d. E2, 194@J, E. may 2,331,699

COMBINED CLOTHES WASHER AND EXTRACTOR Filed Oct'. 24, 1939 3Sheets-Sheet 2 @et i2, 1943. I .1. KmBY COMBINED CLOTHES WASHER ANDEXTRACTOR Filed om. q, 1959 s sheets-sheet 5 /l A A A. .1', .h A .A A al. A A A n A .i2 wi@ 1a 4. 7 s

f Mc ATTORNEYS NVENTOR Jam/5 Kirby Figa@ Patented l2, l43

Utili@ rats entrant www CMBNED CLOTHES WASHER AND EXTRACTR as trusteeApplication October 24, 1939, Serial No. 300,965

(Qi. (S8-733i l. Claim.

This invention relates to clothes washing ma chines, and moreparticularly, to a machine capable of washing. rinsing, and drying abatch oi' clothes in a single container without manual manipulation ofthe clothes during the washing and rinsing and drying operation, themachine preferably being provided with a timer control for automaticallystarting and stopping the various operations in proper sequence.

A further object is to provide a clothes receptacle which is rotatableto extract liquid from the clothes, an agitator which is adapted tooscillate within the clothes receptacle, and a single shaft operativelyconnected to both the agitator and the clothes receptacle through whichthe agitator may be oscillated within the receptacle or both theagitator and the clothes receptacle may be simultaneously rotated.

A further object is to provide a resilient torque absorbing drivingconnection between the shaft and clothes reptacle which permits suicientrelative angular motion between the shaft and extractor receptacle toallow the oscillation of the shaft and agitator within the clothesreceptacle without substantial movement of the clothes receptacle.

With the above and other objects in view the invention may be said tocomprise the machine as illustrated in the accompanying drawingshereinai'ter described and particularly set forth in the appended claim,together with such variations and modifications thereof as will beapparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

Reference should be had with the yaccompanying drawings forming a partof this specification in which Figure l is a vertical axial sectionthrough a combined clothes washer and dryer which embodies theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the washer actuating mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the motor driving pulley andclutch, the bottom of the housing and the clutch actuator being shown ina section on the line indicated at 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical axial section on an enlarged scale through thepulley and clutch mounted on the motor shaft.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary axial section on an enlarged scale through theagitator, the hub portions of the tub and clothes receptacle, and thetop portion of the supporting pedestal.

Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 5 showing a modified form ol thercsllicnt driving connection u ations.

between the actuating shaft and clothes receptacle.

Fig. 7 is a detail view showing the clutch actuating lever in elevation.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the clock motor, the controllingswitches, and the switch controlling cams.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the indicating dial and manually operablecontrol device.

The accompanying drawings show a machine in which clothes may be washed,rinsed, and dried in successive operations, the machine being providedwith a tub l which is supported upon the upper end of a tubular pedestalpost il, and in which the clothes remain during the washing, rinsing,and drying operations. The receptacle 3 is rotatably mounted within thetub so that it may be rotated to extract water from the clothes, and anagitator fi, mounted centrally within. the clothes receptacle, isadapted to be oscillated to agitate the clothes and water within theclothes receptacle during the washing and rinsing operationsA Themachine is provided with a housing which has a base portion 5 enclosingthe lower portion of the supporting pedestal and the operatingmechanism. The housing is provided above the base portion 5 with a drainportion li which is provided upon the interior thereof with an annulartrough 7 which underlies the bottom of the tub l at its periphery sothat it will catch any water overflowing the top of the tub. The upperportion of the housing consists of a tubular shell which encloses theupper portion of the tub l, the upper edge of the shell being bentinwardly to overhang the space between the shell and the top of the tuband providing an opening 9 through which access may be had to theclothes receptacle 3. The housing has a bottom plate l0 in which bemounted supporting caster wheels l l.

The machine of the present invention is designed to effect removal ofgrit, lint, and oil dislodged from the clothes from the clothesreceptacle during the washing and rinsing oper- During these operationsthe agitator l is oscillated within the clothes receptacle 3. During thedrying operation the agitator t and clothes receptacle 3 arecontinuously rotated as a unit within the tub l. The peripheral wall ofthe clothes receptacle is spaced inwardly from the peripheral wall ofthe tub and is provided with perforations l2. The bottom wall of theclothes receptacle is spaced from the tub and is provided withpcrforations I3. A drain outlet le ls provided through which water maybe withdrawn from the bottom of the tub. During the washing operationthe water and clothes within the clothes receptacle 3 are agitated b vthe oscillating agitator 4 and soiid particles of dirt loosened from theclothes will be either thrown out through the perforations I2 in theperipheral wall of the receptacle or will fall by gravity to the bottomof the receptacle 3 and pass out through the perforations I3 into thebottom of the tub I. The peripheral wall of the clothes receptacle 3preferably extends above the top of the tub I so that the liquid levelmay rise to above the top of the tub without permitting any of theclothes to pass out of the receptacle. During the washing operationadditional water is preferably delivered into the clothes receptacle 3at intervals so as to cause an overflow over the top of the tub I intothe drain trough l and this overflow will carry off any scum or floatingimpurities dislodged from the clothes while they are being washed.

In order to lessen the wear on the bearings, economize power, and avoidthe creation of severe vibrations in the housing, the tub and itsvertical supporting pedestal are preferably mounted f or gyratorymovement within the housing; and to permit this movement. the pedestalis pivotally mounted for movement in any direction about a pivot pointdisposed axially thereof and adjacent to the bottom of the housing. Thepedestal has a base portion formed by a flaring conically shaped upperplate I5 fixed to the post 2 and a bottom plate i6 which is rigidlyattached to the disc I5 by bolts Il' and which is spaced from the discI5 by sleeves i8 which surround the bolts. The bottom plate I6 isprovided on the underside adjacent its periphery with a suitable numberoi recesses I9 preferably located at the points where the bolts i! areattached and these recesses provide seats for the upper small ends ofconical coil springs 28 which are seated at their lower ends in wells 2iprovided in the bottom plate I0 of the housing. The pedestal is helddown upon the cushioning springs 2li by means of a central anchoringpivot bolt 22 which has a ball shaped head 23 fitting in a centralrecess in the plate I6. The bolt 22 extends through the bottom plate IDof the housing and is provided with a nut 25 at its lower end which isscrewed against a rubber washer 28 engaging the bottom of the plate ID.By tightening the bolt 22 the tension of the supporting coil springs 2limay be adjusted and by reason of the engagement of the ball head 23 in acorrespondingly shaped recess in the plate any movement of the pedestalis constrained to pivotal movement about the center of the nail head 23.By tightening or loosening the bolt 22 the resistance offered by thesprings 28 to lateral movements of the pedestal may be increased ordecreased as desired.

The pedestal 2 provides a bearing for an actuating shaft 2l' whichextends upwardly into the tub and clothes receptacle and which isoperatively connected to the agitator i and clothes receptacle 3 forimparting oscillating movements to the agitator and for rotating thereceptacle within the hub. The pedestal 2 is provided with bearingsleeves 28 in which the shaft is journaled and the lower end of theshaft 21 rests upon a bearing ball 29 seated in the ball head 23 of thepedestal anchoring bolt 22 adjacent its lower end. The shaft 2l isdriven through a pulley 3D fixed thereto at its lower end. andimmediately above asemee the pulley there is a brake wheel 3l also fixedto the shaft.

Since the tub I, clothes receptacle 3, and agitator i are mounted uponthe pedestal post 2 and operating shaft 2l for relative turningmovements, means is provided for preventing leakage of water through thesupporting and bearing connections. For convenience and eiiciency ofoperation means is also provided to introduce water into the clothesreceptacle through the supporting members. The tub I has a bottom 32which may be in the form of a casting which is provided with a centralhub member 33 which has an axial opening which receives the upper end ofthe pedestal post 2, the hub opening being provided with an internalshoulder 2li which rests upon the upper edge of the tubular post 2. Apacking gland 25 is provided which seals the space between the shaft andhub member 33 to prevent leakage of water through the space between theshaft and hub member. The hub member 33 is provided with an annularpassage 36 which opens to the upper end thereof and with a lateral inletportion at its lower end which is attached to a valve fitting 38 whichis provided with a valve 39 which is normally held closed by a spring40. The valve fitting 38 is attached to a flexible water supply conduit1li through which water under pressure may be supplied from a suitablesource. The clothes receptacle 3 has a hub member G2 which is bored toreceive the shaft 2l and counterbored to receive the upper end of thehub member 33 of the tub and provided with an internal supportingshoulder i3 so that the clothes receptacle is rotatably supported withinthe tub with its bottom spaced above the bottom of the tub. The hubmember 132 of the clothes receptacle is provided with an annular passageLili which registers with the annular passage 36 in the hub member 33 ofthe tub so that water passing upwardly from the supply conduit will passthrough the superposed hub members 3S and A2 of the tub and clothesreceptacle. The agitator 4 is provided with an elongated conical body orhub portion :i5 which is axially bored at its upper end to receive theupper end portion of the shaft 2l, a suitable driving connection 46pcing provided between the upper end of the shaft and the agitator. Anysuitable connection may be provided between the shaft and the agitatorto insure rotation of the agitator with the shaft. As herein shown, theshaft 2l has a tapered polygonal upper end which fits in acorrespondingly shaped socket in the agitator. The agitator li ispreferably so connected to the shaft 2l 'that it may be lifted off theupper end of the shaft and a screw 67 may be provided for securing theupper end of the agitator to the upper end of the shaft. The bodyportion 5.5 of the agitator Il is hollow throughout a considerableportion of its length and has a bearing portion #38 which rotatablyengages the upper end of the hub member l2 of the clothes receptacle.The agitator has a bell shaped base i9 and wings 5G extending radiallyfrom the hub portion and upwardly from the base portion. The upper endportion of the agitator is counterbored to receive a sleeve 5I which hasan internal diameter somewhat greater than the diameter of the shaft 21.The sleeve 5l extends from the upper end of the receptacle hub member i2through the hollow portion of the agitator hub member i5 and forms withthe wall of the hollow body of the agitator an annular chamber 52 whichcommunicates with the annuascisse lar passage ifi through the hubportion t2 of the clothes receptacle. The wall of the agitator hub isprovided with spaced apertures El@ through which water entering thechamber 52 from the water inlet is discharged radially outwardly intothe clothes receptacle.

In the operation of the machine the shaft 2l is oscillated duringwashing and rinsing operations and is rotated continuously in onedirection during the extracting or drying operation, the agitator 5ibeing fixed to the shaft 2'! moves with the shaft when the shaft isoscillated and also when the shaft is rotated. The clothes receptacle,however, is preferably so connected to the shaft 2l that it will partakeof the movement of the shaft only when the shaft is rotated so thatduring the washing and rinsing operations the agitator may oscillatewithin the receptacle while the receptacle is substantially stationary,the connection being such that the clothes receptacle is constrained toturn with the shaft whenever continuous rotation is imparted to theshaft. As shown in Fig. l, a long coil spring Eli surro-unds the shaft2l within the sleeve 5l, the upper end of the spring being attached tothe agitator 4l. and the lower end of the spring being attached to thehub member 'l2 of the clothes receptacle. A turning movement of theshaft within the hub member fifi and sleeve 5l causes the spring eitherto wind up and tighten against the shaft or to unwind and be expandedagainst the interior of the sleeve 5i. In either case the effect is topermit a relative turning movement of the. shaft which is initiallyquite free but which is resisted with gradually increasing intensity bythe spring until the limit of movement of the spring is reached at whichtime the shaft becomes locked to the clothes receptacle. rihe relativefreedom of movement of the shaft through a considerable angle within thesleeve 5l and the hub Q2 permits the shaft to be oscillated through theangle desirable for operating the agitator il. without imparting anysubstantial movement to the clothes receptacle 3. However, whencontinuous rotation is imparted to the shaft. the spring 51S provides atorque absorbing resilient connection between the shaft and clothesreceptacle which gradually overcomes the inertia of the clothesreceptacle and relieves the driving andbraking mechanisms of suddenshock. The initial rotating movement of the clothes receptacle is,therefore, effected quietly and without imparting excessive stresses tothe driving elements and the clothes receptacle isstopped with a gradualdeceleration without excessive stress upon the i braking mechanism.

In Fig. 6 of the dra-wings an alternative form of shock absorbingconnection between the shaft and clothes receptacle is shown. In thismedincation the shaft 2l is provided with a sleeve 55 mithin the hollowhub of the agitator. The sleeve 55 is provided with multiple threads ofrelatively steep pitch and upon this sleeve is mounted a nut 55 whichhas an outwardly projecting flange 5l provided with spaced apertures 58through which extend pins 59 which are fixed to the hub portion l2 ofthe clothes receptacle and project upwardly therefrom, the pins 59serving to prevent rotation of the nut 56 with respect to the hub t2. Atopposite ends of the sleeve 55 cellars fill are mounted on the sleeveand these collars are secured to the sleeve 55 and shaft 2l by pins 5iextending through the sleeve, shaft, and cellars. A coil spring 62 isinterposed between the lower end of nut 56 and the lower collar 60 and acoil spring is interposed between the upper end of the nut and the uppercollar Gil. A turning movement of the shaft 2li within the hub t2 causesthe nut Sii to be moved upwardly or down wardly on the sleeve 55 due tothe action of the pins tie which restrain the nut against turningmovement with respect to the hub dit. If the shaft be turned through arelatively small angle, the movement of the nut compressing the springc2 or the spring 53 is not substantially impeded so that an oscillatorymovement of the shaft 2l with respect to the clothes receptacle 3, suchas required to oscillate the agitator, will not impart substantialmovement to the clothes receptacle t. However, if the shaft be given 'acontinuous rotation, the upper or lower spring S3 or S2 will begradually compressed until its resistance to further compression locksthe shaft to the nut 563 and through the pins 59 to the hub i2 of theclothes receptacle 3. The springs t2 and 63 provide a resilient torqueabsorbing connection between the shaft and clothes receptacle servingthe purpose of the coil spring 541 shown in Fig. 5. Relative rotationbetween the shaft and hub may occur either at the beginning of rotationor when the machine is stopped by application of a brake connected tothe shaft. In the one case the inertia of the clothes receptacle impedesits movement and the shaft runs ahead of the clothes receptacle and inthe other the inertia of the rotating clothes receptacle carries itahead of the shaft. The starting torque acts in one direction upon thespring lili or upon the springs t2 and 63 oi Fig. 5, while the brakingtorque acts in the opposite direction. Either of the resilientconnections herein shown serves to cushion the inertia of the clothesreceptacle both at the start and at the end of the drying operationrelieving the driving mechanism of shock in starting and relieving thebraking mechanism of shock upon application of the brake.

In order to drain the tub during operation of the machine, the tub drainoutlet lli is connected to a fitting tl provided with a valve 65 whichis f' normally held in open position by a spring Sii but which is heldclosed by means, which will be hereinafter described, during washing andrinsing operations. A discharge pipe 6'? which may be a flexible hose isattached to the fitting 6G. The drain trough l is connected to thefitting Ell by means of a pipe 68 which is preferably exible so that itdoes not interfere with the gyratory movement of the tub with respect tothe housing.

The shaft il? is actuated by means of an elecu tric motor 'i3 mountedwithin the base portion 5 of the housing. The motor 'i3 has a verticallydisposed shaft 'it which projects above and below the motor. The drivingconnection from the motor shaft 'lli to the pulley 3B on the shaft 2l isthrough a pair of belts 'l5 extending over the pulley 30 and over thepulley i5 on the motor shaft. The pulley l5 is rotatably mounted on themotor shaft M and is slidable on the shaft for engagement with twoclutch elements one of which has continuous rotation in one directionand the other of which rotates continuously back and forth. The lowerclutch element is in the form of a clutch disc .'l'l fixed to the shaft'ill and provided with a friction facing 'I8 to resist slip between thepulley and disc. An upper clutch disc 'i9 is attached to a gear 3S whichis rotatably mounted upon a sleeve iii surrounding the shaft It andfixed to the motor casing. The sleeve di has a flange B2 et its lowerend which restricts the downward movement of the gear and clutch discand is provided above the gear 80 with a ball thrust bearing 03. Thedisc 'i9 is provided with a friction facing 03 to resist slip betweenthe clutch disc and the upper face of the pulley 7G. The pulley 'i6 maybe formed of two substantially identical parts joined together by boltsat the interior thereof the pulley has webs 86 between upper and lowerball thrust bearings 0l. The pulley i6 is shifted on the shaft it bymeans of keys 08 which slide in longitudinal slots 89 which are formedin the shaft la. The keys 80 have lateral projections 90 which engagethe outer races of the bearings 8l and projections 9| adjacent to theirlower ends which engage opposite sides of a ball bearing within theshifter collar 92. The collar 92 may be shifted up and down on the shaft"it by means of a lever in the form of a flat plate 93 provided with anelongated opening 94 to receive the collar 92 and with lugs 95 engagingin the groove of the collar. The lever 93 is provided with apertures 9Swhich receive bolts 91 attached to fulcrum blocks 98 secured to thebottom housing plate l0 beneath the lever 93. The apertures 96 beingsomewhat larger than the bolts 91 so as to permit the plate to rockabout an axis transverse the bolts. A spring 99 is interposed betweenthe head of each of the bolts 91 and the lever 93 and these springsnormally hold the lever 93 in horizontal position against the flat topfaces of the fulcrum blocks 90 in which position the clutch is held inneutral position with the pulley 16 out of Contact with both clutchdiscs. The lever 93 at the side of the fulcrum blocks 98 upon which theclutch collar is located is provided with a slot |00 which receives thearmature |0| of a solenoid |02, the ar mature i0! being provided with apin |03 which underlies the lever 93, so that upon energization of thesolenoid |02 the lever is lifted to shift the collar 92 upwardly andengage the pulley S with the upper clutch disc 'i9 to impart anoscillatory movement to the shaft 2l. The opposite end of the shifterlever 93 is provided with a slot |013 which receives the armature |95 ofsolenoid |06 which has a pin |01 beneath the lever 93. The encrgizationof the solenoid |06 causes the clutch collar 92 to be moved downwardly,the lever 93 rocking upon the fulcrum blocks 98 to force the clutchcollar 92 downwardly and bring the pulley T6 into engagement with thelower disc il which is continuously driven in one direction.Energization of the solenoid |02 causes the shaft 2l to be oscillatedand energization of the solenoid |06 causes continuous rotation of theshaft 2T.

It is desirable that the shaft 2l be brought to a stop whenever it isdisconnected from its driving mechanism, and a brake, therefore, isprovided which is automatically applied when the shaft 21 isdisconnected from its driving mechanism, and which is automaticallyreleased upon connection of the shaft to the actuating mechanism. Thebrake is in the form of a band |08 which surrounds the brake wheel 3|and which has a flange |09 at one end anchored to the pedestal base. Theopposite end of the brake band has a flange I0, which is connected tothe flange |09 by means of bolt ||I, and which is engaged by a spring||2 which serves to normally press the flange ||0 toward the flange |09and engage the band with the brake wheel. For releasing the brake. aflexible pull cable ||3 is provided which may be yieldingly connected tothe flange H0 through a spring lill interposed between the flange ||0and a knob H5 attached to the pull cable. The pull cable extends througha flexible assises conduit H6 which leads through the bottom plate l0 ofthe housing. In order to actuate the pull cable to release the brakeband |00 upon engagement of the pulley 'i6 with either the upper orlower clutch disc 'i9 or ll, 'the armatures illi and |05 of thesolenoids are attached to their lower endsl to bell crank levers ill andH3 which are pivoted to the bottom plate l0 and have depending arms I |9and |20 projecting beneath the bottom plate i0. The pull cable lili isthreaded through openings in the depending arms 9 and |20 of the bellcranks and is provided adjacent the arms with knobs |2| and |22 eachknob being sufficiently close to an arm to be engaged by the arm whenthe arm is actuated by its solenoid so that a pull is exerted upon thecable ||3 and the brake is released upon actuation of either of theclutch actuating solenoids |02 or |06.

The gear 5G is operated by the motor with periodic reversal of movementby means of gearing connecting the upper end of the motor shaft lll tothe gear 83. The shaft "Hl has a pinion |23 at its upper end whichmeshes with a gear |24 carried 0n a shaft Xed to the motor casing. Apinion |25 rotates with the gear l2@ and meshes with a gear |25 carriedby a second shaft also fixed to the motor casing. A connecting rod |27is connected at one end of the gear |26 and at its opposite end to acrank arm |28 fixed to the upper end of a vertical shaft |29. The shaft|29 is journaled at one side to the motor casing and extends to thelower end at the motor casing. A gear segment |30 is attached to thelower end of the shaft |29 and meshes with the gear 80. An oscillatingmotion is transmitted to the shaft |29 by the connectingr rod |2 fromthe continuously driven gear |26 and the oscillating shaft |29 transmitsturning movements first in one direction and then in the other to thegear S0 and this movement is transmitted through the clutch disc 'I9 andpulley 'i6 to the shaft 2'| The inlet valve 39 is opened against theaction of the spring lll) by means of u solenoid |3| and the drain valve65. closed against the action of its spring 66 by means of a solenoid|32. The solenoids |02, |06, |3I, and |32 serve to control the operationof the agitator for washing and rinsing operations, the operation of theclothes receptacle for drying operations, the introduction of water intothe clothes receptacle, and the draining of water therefrom.Energization of these solenoids may be effected by means of suitableswitches. By closing the switches controlling the above mentionedsolenoids at the proper times, the desired sequence of operations may beeffected. By the use of a suitable timing mechanism, the sequence of theoperations and also the duration of each operation may be automaticallycontrolled. As shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings, the operation of themachine may be controlled by means of a clock motor |33 connected byreduction gearing Iii and through a clutch |35 to a shaft |36 whichserves to operate the switches controlling the motors 13 and |33, theclutch soicnoids |02 and |05, and the valve solenoids |3l and |32i Theshaft |30 has vc control cams which operate a switch |323 which controlsthe clock motor |33 and the power motor 13. a switch |39 which controlsthe solenoid |3l, a switch |40 which controls thc lsolenoid |32, aswitch ||l| which controls the solenoid |02. and a switch |42 whichcontrols the solenoid |06. The outer end of thc shaft |35 is providedwith a handle li by which the shaft may bc turned manually at any timeto adjust aasinee the position of the controlling discs and advance orretard the cycle of operations. The entire cycle of operations iscompleted in one revolution of the shaft |36 and the handle |63 ispreferably in the form of a pointer which moves over the face of a dialit which has indicia in successive segments thereof which indicate thesuccessive operations performed during the cycle.

As shown in Fig, 9, the dial Me has indicated at the top thereof the offposition of the controlling handle and pointer |39. When the combinedhandle and pointer |39 is turned slightly to the right from the oiposition, the solenoid l3| is actuated to open the inlet valve to admitwater to the clothes receptacle and the switch |38 of the clock motor|33 is closed so that the shaft i3d continues to rotate slowly in theclockwise direction. The switch |39 controlling the inlet valve solenoid|3| is held closed while the pointer is moving over the portion of thedial indicated by the legend intake. As herein shown, the intake periodis of a duration such that the tub will be lled with water atapproximately 20 lbs. intake pressure in the time during which theintake valve is h eld open by its solenoid. If the inflow of water istoo rapid, the handle |43 may be advanced to the washing position to cutoff the flow of Water whenever the tub is full; and if the ow of waterinto the tub is not sulcient, the handle |63 may be turned backcounterclockwise sufficiently to continue the flow of water until thetub ls filled. The flexible inlet conduit El may be connected to the hotwater faucet of a household water supply system to supply water at theproper temperature. When the tub is substantially ful] and the pointerhas appreached the end of the intake portion of its revolution, theswitch Ml of the solenoid |02 is actuated to connect the shaft 2l to thegear 80 to impart oscillating movement to the agitator d. The energizingand de-energizing ofthe solenoids |32 and |86 controlling the drainingand drying operations occurs as the pointer |43 moves over thecorresponding indicia on the dial. After the water inlet valve isclosed, the washing operation continues for a suitable period of time,and during that operation the solenoid |3| is actuated at pre-determinedtime intervals as indicated by the short blocks marked "In on the dialto admit a pre-determined additional volume of water to the tub to causeoverflow and clear away scum and other floating impurities. The drainingof the tub and the suds extraction is eiected by actuating of thesolenoids |32 and |06 after the completion of the washing operation; andafter the suds is extracted from the tub, the tub is relled by'actuation of the solenoid |3| and the agitator is oscillated byoperation of the solenoid |il2. Additional Water may be introduced atintervals during the rinsing operation to clear away scum and otherfloating impurities, if desired. Following the rinse wash, the drainvalve is opened and continuous rotation is imparted to shaft 2 and theclothes receptacle to extract water from the clothes in the receptacle.When the pointer reaches the oil position, the operating motor and clockmotor are disconnected to stop the machine.

Furthermorait is to be understood that the particular form of apparatusshown and described, and the particular procedure set forth, arepresented for purposes of explanation and illustration and that variousmodifications of said apparatus and procedure can be made withoutdeparting from my invention as defined in the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a combination washer and extractora clothes receptacle-having arotatably supported hub portion, a shaft extending through said hubportion into said receptacle, an agitator within the receptacle having'a hub portion attached to said shaft, means for oscillating said` shaftabout its axis, means for imparting continuous .rotation to said shaft,a nut having threaded engagement with the shaft between the hub portionsof the receptacle and agitator, means for holding said nut againstrotation with respect to the receptacle, and means yieldably resistingmovement of said nut in either direction on said shaft.

JAMES B- KIRBY.

